. >> reporter: just last night the president warned congress that he won't negotiate on the debt limit. >> the one thing that i think hopefully in the new year we can focus on, is putting a package like this together with a little bit less drama, a little less, and not scare the heck out of folks quite as much. >> reporter: but, with the sequester and other big spending issues like medicare on the table, striking a deal this year won't be easy. >> this is the best opportunity that we're going to have to save our nation and do those things that we have to put in play. >> reporter: but there's not much hope for a sweeping deal this year. >> my suspicion is that we will you know, kick the can down the road on whatever we do in february or march, and it may be for a year, it may be for two years, but we'll be coming back to deal with issues like this in the near-term. >> reporter: the investment market isn't putting much pressure on lawmakers to forge a long-term solution for the nation's fiscal troubles, and some fear that could mean a real fix is still very far away. >> the good news is